December 17, Daniel

Day 18, December 17

Persons: Daniel

Theme/Event: The Exile

Symbol: Fiery Furnace

Daniel 1:1-7, 3

God sent many prophets to His people, but when they did not listen and continued to disobey, He allowed trials and hard times to come into their lives, so that they would turn back to Him. One of these trials was that He allowed other nations to defeat them and to carry them off to foreign lands to live in exile. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were some of Jesus’ ancestors that were carried off to a land named Babylon. Babylon was a place where the people didn’t know God and they worshipped other gods and their own kings. The king of Babylon was named Nebuchadnezzar, and he made a law at that time, that everyone needed to worship his image of gold or they would be cast into a fiery furnace. But, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego would not worship anyone but the true God.

Daniel 3:13-30

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” ¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²² Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
²⁵ “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. ²⁷ And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ²⁹ Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego knew that they had to do what was right, no matter what everyone else was doing and no matter what the consequences could be. Sometimes it can be scary to do the right thing, but we know that God has promised He will always be with us and God keeps His promises! Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were able to show God’s power and glory to a king who didn’t know God. Because of their obedience, Nebuchadnezzar said that everyone should worship their God! We don’t know for sure, but we believe that Jesus was the fourth person in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Because of their obedience in a hard time, they were able to see Jesus!

Questions:

• Why did God allow the people to be carried off to Babylon?


• Did the fire hurt Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego?


• When did you obey God when it was hard?

Prayer: Dear God, help us to obey you even when no one else does. Thank you that you are with us, even when things are hard.